U.S. Patent Cites Wii U as "Universal Remote Controller"

THQ's Danny Bilson wasn't kidding when he called the Wii U controller the "Swiss army knife of video game controllers." Touch screen, game streaming, motion control and near-field communication technology is all well and good, but the latest rumour points to the pad controlling more than just the Wii U console.

This invention relates generally to remote control systems and, more particularly, to a system and method for facilitating the set up and configuration of a portable device, e.g., a smart device which may incorporate universal remote control functionality, to command operation of one or more types of remotely controllable appliances of one or more manufacturers. Exemplary smart devices include but are not limited to Apple's "iPhone` and "iPad," Google's "Android" platform, Nintendo's "Wii U" controller, Blackberry's "Torch" or "PlayBook," etc. Exemplary types of appliances include, but are not limited to televisions, digital video disc players (DVDs), cable or satellite set top boxes (STBs), digital video recorders (DVRs), audio video (AV) receivers, thermostats, game consoles, lighting systems, etc.

Obviously the Wii U controller will interact with a games console, but what else could it work with? One of the system's big selling points is the ability to play Wii U games on your touch screen while someone else uses the TV. If the controller acts as a TV remote, we could be entering a golden age of channel-changing mischief.

It's worth stressing that this patent is not filed by Nintendo, so doesn't necessarily reflect what Wii U will do. It's an interesting possibility, though. What do you make of it?

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User Comments (36)

Ooh, now that does sound rather handy. I'd love to have the Wii U tablet control all my TV-related devices, so there's just this one tablet sitting there instead of 4 or 5 different remotes. I know that various universal remotes already exist, but the quality of this color touchscreen could put it far beyond what's currently available.

There would be good uses like using the controller for picture in picture (have up to fifteen channels on it, choose where to go by tapping one), a bit more comfort in menus on DVD's / BluRay's (in choosing chapters as well) and an easy way to jump to a certain section like on Nintendo Video.Problem is that Ninty would have to work closely with the manufacturers of the devices so i doubt anything will come out of this.

Yeah, that would be seriously cool. If someone wanted to watch TV while you were playing, it would be a simple matter for you to change the channel for them in a pause menu. Giving control of the TV to the controller would bring total unity to anyone's entertainment center with the WiiU console at the core of it. Nintendo should seriously consider this if they haven't already.

too bad i stopped watching television bout 10 years ago. lol. nice selling point.. then again, i am not amongst the target group. nice feature anyway for those who will find it useful i am merely interested in the games. if they will deliver, it can have as much gimmicks as it wants to

That could prove useful.If it doesn't end up happening though, it doesn't bother me though as it's not really much extra effort to have an extra remote sitting around if I want to control the TV.I'm buying a Wii U to play games, not for an extra TV remote, but extra features are always good as long as they don't raise the price of the system.

If you can play virtual golf with it and watch TV while the one in the living room is on, that sound rather broad to me. It's no wonder then that developers are so pumped for this console, because there can be many ideas that can come out of it.

@Nin-freak Why? It's not like Sony patented their IR Control Codes. I can name a ton of non-descript third-party remotes (that I know didn't pay Sony a dime) that can control Sony TVs just fine. If Device Manufaturers could charge people for making a remote to control a device, the world would be a much different(and worse off) place.

Is it a known fact that the Upad will have the required IR? I know I can use my Ipod Touch over my WiFi to control my cable box but I never bother. If it has the IR and worked as a universal remote I might use it. Though I'ld rather they sell a charging uPad stand and let me display it as either a digital photoframe - streaming photos from the WiiU - or a 3DS like clock app. With 2 kids in the house I'ld rather the thing look untouchable then have them constantly using it to watch tv.